Welcome to Close Call Sports. CCS objectively tracks and analyzes close and controversial calls in sport, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game. Developed from The Left Field Corner: MLB Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (UEFL), whose purpose is to objectively track and analyze umpire ejections, video instant replay reviews and their corresponding calls, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

MLB Ejection 162 - Marvin Hudson (2; Josh Donaldson)

HP Umpire Marvin Hudson ejected Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson (strike one call; QOCY) in the top of the 18th inning of the Blue Jays-Red Sox game. With none out and none on, Donaldson took a 0-0 sinker from Red Sox pitcher Carson Smith for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and belt-high (px -.671, pz 3.180 [sz_top 3.411]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 2-2. The Red Sox ultimately won the contest, 3-2, in 19 innings.

Historical Context: Donaldson's 18th inning ejection is the latest in a game since August 18, 1982, when 1B Umpire Dave Pallone ejected the Dodgers' Ron Cey and Tommy Lasorda for arguing a call at first base in the 20th inning, and HP Umpire Eric Gregg ejected Cubs coach John Vukovich for arguing balls and strikes in the 18th (who was filling in for Cubs skipper Lee Elia, whom Gregg had thrown out in the 8th); however, the August 18 game was actually a completion of an originally scheduled contest on August 17 that had been suspended in the 17th inning; thus, the 18th- and 20th-inning ejections transpired after play had resumed; effectively, during the 1st and 3rd innings of resumption.

Honorable Mention, AL: As for a late-game ejection on the same night of play in the American League, we refer to an Angels-Athletics game on July 9/10, 1971, where HP Umpire George Maloney ejected California Angels RF Tony Conigliaro in the 19th inning. As is the case with so many ejections in the modern era, Conigliaro's pre-ejection performance was poor. Prior to ejection, Conigliaro was 0-8 (5 strikeouts) in the contest.

Honorable Mention, NL: HP Umpire Terry Tata ejected Mets Davey Johnson and Darryl Strawberry for arguing balls and strikes in the top of the 17th inning of a game that started on July 4, 1985. Tata famously told Johnson, "Davey, at three o'clock in the morning, anything's a strike."